The United States detains more than 180,000 migrants at the border with Mexico, the highest number to date

Migrant apprehensions at the US-Mexico border reached another all-time high in May with more than 180,000, according to the US Customs and Border Protection Office.. (CBP).

The 180,034 arrests in April represent an increase of about 1% compared to the 178,622 in April, which in turn were 3% higher than the 173,348 in March, two months that at the time already marked all-time highs.. Despite the general rise, the arrival of unaccompanied minors at the border in May -14,158- fell again for the second consecutive month after the 18,951 in March. Of these, 10,765 came from Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador..

Most of the arrests of undocumented immigrants, more than 121,000, corresponded to adults migrating alone, a sharp rise compared to the 111,000 the previous month; while more than 44,000 arrived in families. The CBP also announced that of the 180,034 migrants who were arrested at the border, 112,302 -more than 62%- were immediately deported under the pretext of the health crisis caused by the pandemic..

The new record numbers month by month show that despite the strategy led by the vice president, Kamala Harris, the immigration crisis persists on the southern border of the United States, where the arrival of undocumented immigrants has not stopped increasing since President Joe Biden took office. power in january.

The Biden government came under harsh criticism because many minors who have crossed the border, especially at the start of the crisis, have stayed longer than the law allows in CBP-run detention centers, which are designed for adults, not children.. Biden charged Harris at the end of March with the task of curbing migration. The vice president, for this purpose, traveled this week to Mexico and Guatemala, a country where she urged migrants “not to come” to the United States, statements that were criticized by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

More than 200 migrants locked up in Mexico

More than 200 undocumented migrants seeking to cross irregularly into the United States were found in two houses on the Ciudad Juárez border, in northern Mexico, where they remained overcrowded, local authorities reported..

The group, made up of citizens from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Brazil and Mexico, had been locked up for more than a month, detailed the local Security Secretariat.. A contingent of 140 people was in a wooden room of about 25 square meters, while another 66 people remained in another house within a room of 16 square meters.. “They were in subhuman conditions (…) That is why the first action when carrying out the humanitarian rescue of these people was to hydrate them all,” said the Secretary of Security, Raúl Ávila.

A Guatemalan migrant identified as Edy, 32, explained that they slept sitting up and were constantly threatened.. The local police reported that the group included 16 minors and three pregnant women.. “The truth is that we feel calmer, because we know that they are taking care of us and that they will attend to us, because we have suffered,” said José Amaya, a 38-year-old Honduran, who was accompanied by his wife.. Immigration personnel detained 128 people for not having documents to remain in Mexico, while the rest were taken to a municipal shelter..